What the heck? – WeatherGrrrl's Station

The World is a Strange Place

WeatherGrrrl — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 08:04:27 +0000

Weird is the world. It’s hard to look at what’s happening and make any rhyme or reason out of it. Big companies and the 1% seem hell bent on gathering all the capital in their pockets, cutting the wages/benefits of the people doing the work (ie generating the profit), creating robots to replace as many employees as humanly possible etc.

Yet to keep making a profit they need customers who have money to spend. But those are the people they are making huge efforts to not pay and get rid off. If there is no middle class who can they sell to?

It seems rather self destructive.

Current temperature: here 17F/-8C, there 4C/39F

Out of the frying pan …

WeatherGrrrl — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:08:43 +0000

So we just received this message from the local emergency warning relay.

“A Red Flag Warning for Critical Fire Weather Conditions, remains in effect until 8:00 PM this evening. Strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Listen to your local weather station for updates to this alert.”

Gulp.

Snow last fell not that long ago and we’re now fearing for flames?

And Global Climate Change is a commie plot to destroy capitalism!!!!!!

Yeah, right. Sheesh.

Current temperature: here 91F/33C, there 13C/55F

The Roman Polanski Non-sense

WeatherGrrrl — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:51:09 +0000

I haven’t blogged on these events till now because it seemed to me that so many had lost their heads for some unaccountable reason that they were bound to come to and renounce their support for Roman Polanski. Looks like that was wishful thinking. *sheesh* Every time I hear of a new celeb/actor/who-ever signing up with the Polanski Pity Party I have a serious WTF moment and try and think of reasons why. I have a list, which I won’t be including here because,

WTF!!!!!!!!!!

why does, ‘admitting to raping a thirteen year old girl when you were a middle-aged man and fleeing sentencing thirty odd years ago’ result in you being the victim and in need of support and assistance?

Here are a few links to commentary with which I agree and is waaaaaay more articulate than I.

Jay Smooth sums it all up nicely.

Kathe Pollitt’s article in The Nation: Roman Polanski Has a Lot of Friends

A post linking to Kate Harding’s posts on the issue.

Jill Psmith, the blogger formerly known as Twisty Faster, has her finger on the pulse: Yet another reason celebrities should be spurned by polite society until they can learn to stop doing stupid shit.

Hell, even a guy like John Naughton gets it.

Current temperature: here 36F/2C, there 12C/54F

On rape culture

WeatherGrrrl — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:00:08 +0000

At Shapely Prose there is an article, Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced, written by guest blogger Starling, that has much that is right on the money and should be read far and wide. The sentences that particularly pinged for me are:

Because a man who ignores a woman’s NO in a non-sexual setting is more likely to ignore NO in a sexual setting, as well.

So if you speak to a woman who is otherwise occupied, you’re sending a subtle message. It is that your desire to interact trumps her right to be left alone. If you pursue a conversation when she’s tried to cut it off, you send a message. It is that your desire to speak trumps her right to be left alone. And each of those messages indicates that you believe your desires are a legitimate reason to override her rights.

This may seem such a small thing but it is the crux of so much, granting as much respect for others as one holds for oneself is essential if one wants to be a decent human being. Unfortunately so many still seem to find it necessary to divide the world into “us” and “them” in order to define their own worth.

In the comment thread on this Shapely Prose post I also learnt of UMASS Boston professor, David Lisak, who has done research on the “undetected rapist.” This rape fact sheet he has put together is quite illuminating and well worth reading. Some of the facts may surprise you.

For a detailed description of rape culture check out Rape Culture 101 at Shakesville. Seeing the litany of elements that are rape culture linked together in one post just blows my mind.

Current temperature: here 37F/3C, there 12C/54F

Someone states the obvious …

WeatherGrrrl — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:51:36 +0000

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… but will anyone listen? Sexual assault prevention tips guaranteed to work! Maybe this should be posted in their bathrooms? Current temperature: here 82F/28C, there 17C/63F

US Healthcare debate …

WeatherGrrrl — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:19:49 +0000

… where in I run for the hills, metaphorically speaking.

There are times when I wonder if certain US citizens think that it’s okay for them to lie, and cheat, and steal, because they think that they are God’s chosen people and that this absolves them from telling the truth and behaving like decent human beings.

The US healthcare debate is one of those times.

The levels of dishonesty regarding the delivery of healthcare in the rest of the world and what is going on in their own country (to their families, friends and neighbours) has reach epic levels of fail. I find myself incapable of stomaching the media coverage because there are so few people who seem capable of saying, “That’s not true,” or “Where did you get that mis-information from?” or even a simple, “Huh?”

When the sanest commentator and interviewer on the issue is Jon Stewart of the Daily Show on the Comedy Channel you know that we’re living in an alternate universe where lies are the truth, propaganda is reason and Big Media is laughing all the way to the bank, counting the millions of dollars that it’s being paid by the healthcare industry and its co-conspirators.

Deja Vu for the millionth time, Oz style

WeatherGrrrl — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:56:30 +0000

So an Oz male blogger by the name of Possum Comitatus asks the perennial question, “Where are all the wimmez?” on the political blog Pollytics.

Not a very original question you’ve got to admit and, um, a little baffling from my point of view since there are a plethora of women blogging about politics, certainly way more than one can ever keep up with. All you have to do is look to find them on which ever continent you happen to reside.

The comment thread on the original post wasn’t particularly enlightening so I checked out posts on Hoyden About Town and Larvatus Prodeo which proved to be more illuminating. Hoyden About Town especially so as you can watch Possum Comitatus dig a deeper and deeper hole as his unexamined privilege becomes more and more apparent and hits rock bottom with a gratuitous racial slur.

I also enjoyed reading fuckpoliteness‘ response Fixing to have a meltdown cos women dare to have a contrary opinion.

My favourite response though was from Skud, Where are all the men bloggers? where the comment thread is stupendous. Her follow up post nicely summarises the whole thing.

When I hang out on the internet it’s mainly at sites where most of the contributors are female or there’s an aggressive moderator policy. I really don’t want to subject myself to the horrendous slurs and put downs that appear to be the staple of many male run blogs. If you have to ask, “Where are the women?”, perhaps you’re part of the problem.

Current temperature: here 75F/24C, there 14C/57F

People as Art

WeatherGrrrl — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:36:53 +0000

So the current “sculpture” being exhibited on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is by Antony Gormley of Angel of the North fame. 2400 people will each get to spend an hour on top of the plinth doing, basically, whatever they want. To watch the live feed go to One and Other.

My friend Jane will be one of the 2400 on 21st September. Go Jane!!!!!!

Current temperature: here 73F/23C, there 15C/59F

Please don’t stay in touch

WeatherGrrrl — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:15:20 +0000

This brought a smile to the lips this morning. I recently discovered Lily Allen and her cd, It’s Not Me, It’s You, via our radio show on KUMM and this little ditty just makes me love her more.

Be prepared for some serious chair dancing, hilarity and gayness.

Also this is definitely NSFW due to language.

Steger Moosehide Mukluks

WeatherGrrrl — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:46:04 +0000

I like to wear shoes because, well, going bare foot in the modern world doesn’t really work, however I always have a terrible time finding anything to buy as:

1) I like to be comfortable and women’s shoes these days are more like implements of torture
2) I have wide feet and a very high instep
3) I have feet shaped feet and the designers of women’s shoes don’t appear to be interested in creating shoes that fit human shaped feet.

So, Sunday, I ordered myself a pair of Apache Moccasins from Steger Moosehide Mukluks, a company based in Ely, Minnesota that is inspired by traditional First Nations designs for their products. I wasn’t certain that they would be the solution to my problems but they sure looked and sounded cool on the web site. Well they showed up today and I am one happy camper. They are really cool and I love how they tie around the ankles. I’m not sure they are tight enough and I may end up having to wear double socks as the hide stretches with wear. We’ll have to see. If things go well I’d like to buy a pair of Ojibwa or Navajo books for the winter.

Current temperature: here 52F/11C, there 8C/46F